


It's You

by ahsokaa



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Trans Peter Parker, bc it's important to me that everyone knows he's trans, brief mention of - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-24 04:08:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12004698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahsokaa/pseuds/ahsokaa
Summary: “I'm in love,” he declares a week later, plopping his lunch on the table as he takes a seat next to Peter.“Oh yeah?” The other boy gives him a skeptical look. “Who's the lucky guy?” He questions before taking a sip.“Spider-Man,” Ned announces cheerfully and suddenly, Peter is choking and spitting his drink out across the table.Or, an au in which Ned doesn’t know Peter is Spider-Man and starts crushing on the superhero after he saves them in Washington





	1. Chapter 1

A lot can change in a single day. One minute, Ned and the rest of his teammates are celebrating their decathlon victory, the next, Ned sees his life flash before his eyes.

Looking back, he thinks he should have died. Falling from hundreds of feet at increasing speed, the impact surely would have killed him. It should have, but it didn’t. All because of Spider-Man. Ned could only watch in awe as the masked stranger did everything he could to save him and his friends.

He finds himself face to face with Spider-Man, staring intently into his eyes. But before Ned is able to form a coherent thought, he vanishes, leaving him staring at the empty space the man had occupied moments before.

“Thank you,” he finally manages, but the hero is long gone.

______________________

Peter hugs him long and hard when they’re finally reunited. Though he’s still curious where they other boy had run off to, Ned finds himself more relieved he had been far away from the incident.

“I’m so sorry,” Peter whispers.

“What do you have to be sorry for?”

Peter goes quiet. “I’m just… I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too, buddy.” Ned throws an arm around Peter as they make their way back to the school bus.

______________________

Ned settles back into his everyday life. The school welcomes the decathlon team back warmly, families and friends all relieved (and thankful) no one was harmed. His parents insist on spending as much time with him as humanly possible. He doesn’t mind, he could have died after all. Slowly, things return to normal.

He never forgets about Spider-Man.

______________________

“I'm in love,” he declares a week later, plopping his lunch on the table as he takes a seat next to Peter.

“Oh yeah?” The other boy gives him a skeptical look. “Who's the lucky guy?” He questions before taking a sip.

“Spider-Man,” Ned announces cheerfully and suddenly, Peter is choking and spitting his drink out across the table.

“Dude, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Peter manages, blushing slightly. “I’m late for decathlon practice though, I’ll see you later,” he forces out before fleeing from the cafeteria.

Ned tries not to think too much about why Peter ran off, especially since there is no decathlon practice that day.

______________________

Spider-Man is more active than usual over the next few days, making it easier for Ned to keep track of the superhero’s whereabouts. Between newspaper headlines and youtube clips, Ned is able to piece together most of his endeavors.

Ned doesn’t see much of Peter, however, and it almost feels like the other boy is going out of his way to avoid him. He doesn’t understand why Peter is acting so distant, which only makes it hurt more. When Ned does see him, his friend seems exhausted. The Stark internship is taking up more and more of his time, leaving little time for them to hang out. More than that, Ned is concerned for his friend. He’s clearly overworking himself, stretching himself too thin. He wishes there was something he could do, but he knows Peter needs space.

Just as quickly, Spider-Man disappears again. After saving a sinking ferry alongside Iron Man, the hero’s activity all but stops. At first Ned panics that something may have happened to him, but he calms when he realizes something that big surely would have gotten media coverage.

Slowly, Peter starts acting like himself again. He makes more time for Ned, returning to their regular lunch table and inviting him over after school to build a new Lego set. He can tell that something is still off, but Ned has missed his best friend, so it’s enough for now.

_____________________

The weekend finds the two boys curled up on the couch in Peter’s living room watching TV, junk food laid out in front of them. Ned can tell Peter is struggling to stay awake, his eyes drooping every so often. It doesn’t take long until he finally does fall asleep, resting his head on Ned's shoulder as he doses.

Ned feels a warmth in his chest and just for the night, he forgets about Spider-Man. Instead, he wonders what it would be like to be in love with Peter Parker. He thinks he might already know.

______________________

“Ned, I really need to talk to you. About Spider-Man.” Peter looks oddly nervous, though Ned can’t figure out why he would be.

“It’s okay, Peter. I’m over him anyway. There’s… someone else I like.”

Peter’s face drops slightly before he recovers. “Oh I- Yeah, I understand. Who is he? Someone I know?”

“IthinkImightlikeyou.” The words spill out before he can stop them.

“What?”

“It’s you. I like you,” he repeats slower. “I’m sorry if that’s weird or whatever, I don’t want to mess up our friendship.”

Peter doesn’t respond, staring at Ned with a dumbfound look on his face. Ned’s gaze drops to his shoes, regret filling the pit of his stomach.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have- I’ll just go,” he forces out, turning to leave.

But then Peter is pulling him close, pressing their lips together almost desperately. Ned stands frozen for a moment before kissing back, fingers lacing in Peter’s hair in an attempt to get even closer. After a few moments, they break apart, breathing heavily and staring at one another.

“That. Was. Awesome.”

“I've wanted to do that for so long,” Peter says, looking happier than Ned has seen him in months. His face grows serious. “But there’s something I need to show you.”

______________________

When Ned sees Peter in his Spider-Man gear for the first time, everything clicks into place. Standing on the roof of Peter’s building, his brain feels as though it’s working a thousand mile an hour piecing everything together. His sporadic absences, the flimsy excuses, his fatigue. Everything suddenly makes sense. Peter clears his throat, awakening Ned from his thoughts.

“Ned? Say something.” Peter takes off his mask, a nervous look gracing his face. All Ned can focus on is how cute his messy hair looks.

“Oh my god, it’s you.”

“Yeah,” Peter smiles, stepping closer. “It’s me.”

“My boyfriend is Spider-Man,” he says, the weight of his words finally sinking in.

Peter leans in and kisses him softly, hand coming to rest on Ned’s cheek.

“Yeah, he is.”

The two sit quietly, watching the city lights. Ned rests his head on Peter’s shoulder, exhaling deeply. He can see Peter looking at him out of the corner of his eye, a small smile on his face. Ned knows things are about to change; they won’t always be this easy. He just wants to savor this moment as long as he can.

“Can you spit venom?” He asks suddenly.

“Dude, what?” Peter laughs and pulls him closer, and Ned can't help but join in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Same fic, this time Peter's pov

Peter has tried, _really tried_ , to keep his superhero life separate from his normal life. He doesn’t want Aunt May to worry, doesn’t want to put his friends in danger. But everything goes to shit when his academic decathlon team goes to Washington DC and disaster strikes as his classmates are trapped inside the Washington Monument, hundreds of feet off the ground.   

 _“My fault. My fault,”_ He thinks over and over as he races to save his friends. He has to save them, he _has_ to.

In the end, he gets there just in time. He rescues everyone, his heart pounding as he strains to pull the elevator’s last occupant out of harm’s way.

Ned is staring at him, a wonderstruck look on his face. He looks at Spider-Man the way Peter thinks he must look at Ned when he isn’t paying attention, adoration clear in his eyes. He stares back at the other boy, wanting to say something, but not sure what.

 _Kiss him,_ Karen’s voice says in his head but before he can even consider it, his web snaps, sending him falling down the shaft once again.

______________________

Peter hugs Ned as tightly as he can when they reunite. He’s sure the other boy has a million questions for him about why he disappeared, but he’s oddly quiet. Peter supposes a near-death experience can do that to a guy.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispers, still holding onto his friend.

Ned pulls back to look him in the eyes. “What do you have to be sorry for?”

He falls silent. Of course he can’t explain how the explosive device that almost got them all killed had ended up in Ned’s bag because of him, even if it had been a mistake. Or how Spider-Man had almost not reached them in time to save him and the rest of their classmates.

“I’m just… i’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too, buddy,” Ned says, throwing an arm around his shoulder. Peter feels himself blush from his friend’s close proximity and hopes Ned doesn’t notice.

______________________             

Peter tries to settle back into into his life as best as he can, but with Vulture still out there, that’s easier said than done. The school welcomes back the decathlon team warmly. His teachers go easy on him, and the number of transphobic jokes made at his expense are cut in half. Everyone is just so relieved no one was harmed. Excited whispers fill the hall as rumors of Spider-Man’s latest rescue circulate. He tries to regain a sense of normalcy, whatever that word means for him now.

Most importantly, he tries to forget about his feelings for Ned.

______________________        

“I’m in love,” Ned announces at lunch the next week.

Peter shoots him a look, doubt written on his face. “Oh yeah? Who’s the lucky guy?” he asks, taking a sip.

“Spider-Man,” Ned responds, completely serious and grinning ear to ear. Peter immediately chokes on his drink, spitting it out across the table.

“ _Just my luck,”_ Peter thinks bitterly. _“The guy I’ve been crushing on for months is in love with my alter ego._ ”

He tries to breathe normal again. _In, out. In, out._ He’s jolted from his thoughts we he hears Ned ask, “Dude, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he forces out, face burning. “I’m late for decathlon practice though, I’ll see you later.”

He curses himself for coming up with an excuse that is such an obvious lie, but doesn’t stick around long enough for Ned to be able to call him on it.

______________________       

Spider-Man duties increase over the next few days. The Vulture is still out there, and so are his illegal weapons. Any moment he’s not in school is spent in reconnaissance, trying to track down leads on how to find him, or where his next deal might take place.

It’s late, and Peter is perched on a roof doing surveillance. His phone lights up with another text from Ned. He hesitates before swiping the notification away. He feels horrible ignoring his friend, but it hurts even more to be around him. He wants so badly to tell him the truth, but he’s scared it will make things weird between them. So he keeps his distance, making flimsy excuses why he can’t hang out after school and sitting in the library during lunch under the guise that he’s behind in his studies. But Peter misses his best friend. 

Things turn around when he gets a new lead in the form of Aaron Davis. After tracking down the criminal involved in an earlier deal, he’s able to find out the location of a major deal happening on the Staten Island ferry later that day. 

It doesn't go well. Mr. Stark has to help him stop the ferry from sinking, and the older man is not happy. _“I tried to tell you,”_ he thinks. “ _I tried and you wouldn’t listen.”_ Peter has never seen Mr. Stark so upset. He takes back the suit, leaving Peter with nothing. Without it, he feels lost. Like a part of himself is missing.

Peter is eating in the library again the next day when Michelle slides into the seat across from him. She sits there quietly for a few moments, just watching him before she finally speaks up.

“What’s up with you lately?” she eyes him suspiciously. “You’re acting even weirder than usual.”

“Nothing, okay? I’m fine,” he snaps. 

“You’re clearly not. Does this have something to do with Ned?”

Peter’s eyes go wide. “What, of course not-”

Michelle gives him another look and he goes quiet. “You got it bad, huh?”

Peter sighs, slumping further into his seat. He knows there’s no use trying to lie to Michelle. “How did you know?”

“I have eyes, Peter.”

“Oh great,” he mumbles. “Sorry, I just- I lost the Stark internship, and now I’m gonna lose my best friend too, I don’t know what to do.” His voice breaks, leaving him feeling embarrassed that Michelle is seeing him in such a vulnerable state.

Michelle looks at him with an almost empathetic expression, but in the blink of an eye it’s gone, leaving him wondering if he imagined it.

“Well, for starters, maybe stop avoiding him? And _talk_ to him. You guys have been friends forever, even if he doesn’t like you back he’s not going to hate you.”

“Wow, that was surprisingly helpful. Thanks.”

“Don’t get used to it.” He isn’t at all shocked when she flips him off as he waves goodbye on his way out the library.  

He finds Ned in their regular spot in the cafeteria. “Can I sit?” he asks nervously. Ned just nods at him, a huge grin plastered on his face.

______________________        

Ned comes over the next night, bags of junk food in hand and they situate themselves on the couch as Peter pulls up an episode of _Community._ He's still drained from Spider-Man duties earlier that week, and working frantically to catch up on schoolwork he'd been neglecting. Three episodes in, exhaustion hits and he falls asleep curled up next to Ned. 

He wakes up a few hours later, careful not to jostle Ned sleeping next to him. His head is resting on Ned’s shoulder, Ned’s head on top of his. He's curled up against his side, their bodies close. Peter feels a warm, happy feeling in his chest and he closes his eyes, letting sleep take over once again.

______________________

“Ned, I need to talk to you. About Spider-Man.”

Ned looks up at him. “It's okay Peter, I'm over him anyway. There’s… Someone else I like.”

Peter feels his stomach fall. “Oh I- Yeah, I understand,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Who is he? Someone I know?”

Ned says something in reply, but he speaks so quickly Peter can't understand him. 

“What?”

“It’s you. I like you,” he says, his words slower this time. “I’m sorry if that’s weird or whatever, I don’t want to mess up our friendship.”

Peter can't believe what he's hearing. Ned likes him. Not Spider-Man. _Him_. Peter Parker. He’s so shocked, he just stands there, mouth wide open and eyes big.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have- I’ll just go,” Ned says quietly, turning to leave and Peter snaps out of his daze and grabs the other boy by the hand. He pulls him close and finds Ned’s lips with his own, hands snaking around his waist. Ned kisses him back and it’s even better than he imagined.

“That. Was. Awesome,” Ned says breathlessly once they break apart.

“I've wanted to do that for so long,” he says, a huge grin on his face. His expression turns serious. “But there’s something I need to show you.”

______________________

Peter stands in front of Ned, dressed in his Spider-Man suit, posing a little more dramatically than necessary. Ned just stares at him wide-eyed, opening and closing his mouth but never speaking. Peter can practically see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to understand what he's seeing. Peter shifts uncomfortably, then coughs, and Ned’s eyes meet his instantly.

“Ned? Say something.” He pulls off his mask, staring at the other boy nervously.

“Oh my god it's you.”

“Yeah, it's me.” He steps forward, closing the space between them.

“My boyfriend is Spider-Man,” he says as if this realization is just now dawning on him.

Peter puts a hand on Ned’s cheek and leans in, kissing him softly.

“Yeah,” he says once they pull apart. “He is.”

Ned takes a seat on the roof and Peter joins him, wrapping an arm around the other boy’s waist as Ned rests his head on his shoulder. They sit there quietly, staring down at the city and enjoying each other's company. Peter smiles softly, looking over at his boyfriend. He doesn’t want this moment to end. 

“Can you spit venom?” Ned asks, breaking the silence.

“Dude, what?” he laughs, pulling Ned closer and for the first time in a long time, everything feels alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, I actually had no intention of writing more of this but here it is anyway. Since it's the same story some of it is a little repetitive but I do think it adds more depth to everything. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also, Peter and Ned 100% watch Community and think of themselves as Troy and Abed. That's canon.
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr at ahsokaa. Come talk to me about how good and pure Peter/Ned is.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading my fic. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Special thanks to luminoussbeings for reading this over for me! Also Jaye whose username I don't know but I love anyway
> 
> I'm at ahsokaa.tumblr.com. Come and talk to me about my boy Peter Parker


End file.
